The Real Side of Mai Taniyama A Ghost Hunt and Marvel Crossover
by DieOnYourOwnDeath
Summary: Mai Taniyama, she's a bubbly teenage girl, a trouble magnet for anything supernatural, and the tea maker for a certain narcissist. The only abnormal thing they can think of her, is her animal like insticts. But, shortly after Naru and Lin return from England, things about Mai begin to come to light. With new cases, Mai's secrets slowly come out. A whole new side, of Mai...*UPDATED*
1. Chapter 1: Our Story Begins

***AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END, 2019 UPDATE, PLEASE READ***

Mai Taniyama was usually late for work. She knew this. Whether it was because she missed the train, or she had a conference at school, or she was just caught up in her own personal business, Mai was always late.

But today, today was _not_ her fault.

Dodging left, she narrowly avoided a blast of sand heading her way, her body rolling until she was behind the cover of an overturned car. "Out of all the days for you to show up," Mai muttered, coming out of her cover to shoot a large stalagmite of ice at her opponent. On a regular day, you wouldn't see this teen clad in mystical, form-fitting blue armor, a grimace on her face as she faced an unhinged enemy. No, on a normal day you would see warm brown eyes, chocolate colored hair, and a small smile on a tomboyish figure. On a normal day, Sandman, aka Flint Marko, aka William Baker, would be stranded on an island, surrounded by water with no fucking chance of escape.

And did it annoy Mai that this was not the case?

Absolutely.

"Come on, _Baker,_ I know you can do better than that!" Mai taunted, she then grabbed a car and threw it at the sand creature, using the wind to get it to go the extra mile. Sandman simply absorbed the car before spitting the crushed tin out. Sighing, Mai jumped back, once again, just barely dodging the sand that was shot at her.

Taking a deep breath, Mai crouched down low, her eyes following her target as he slowly approached, convinced for some reason, that the resident superhero was giving up. _Now!_

Mai shot off into the air, her hands clasped tightly together, "Hey, Baker! _High Five!"_ she pulled her hands apart, sending a blast of air towards the Sandman. Caught off guard, Flint didn't even manage to dodge, getting hit full force and scattered.

Feeling the sand particles in the air, Mai made a rowing motion with her hands, pulling the wind in and spinning it together in a near perfect vortex. "You know, I've never trusted the weatherman, I don't recall a sandstorm being predicted for today," Mai released the sand, letting it fall to the ground, "Of course, raining sand wasn't mentioned on the forecast either," Mai muttered looking towards the sand that had collected to form a large, and confused, Flint, lying dazed.

With a slashing motion of her hand, Flint was encased in dark blue ice, a shade only seen on Earth by her hand. Mai flew to the nearest building, dissolving her ice absentmindedly while dialing in a number on her phone.

"What did you do?" An aggravated voice questioned over the phone.

"Well hello to you too, Mr. Smiles all the time!" Mai answered cheekily.

"I don't have time for this shit, Taniyama, what did you do?" Nick pressed.

"Nothing," Mai snorted, "It's more like, what did S.H.I.E.L.D. do? Considering the last time I checked, Marco Flint was kept locked up in a safe place, _not_ roaming the streets of Shibuya."

"Fuck."

"Exactly, so I need a cleanup. He's been detained."

"Thanks, Agent Taniyama, we'll be in contact."

Mai hung up with a sigh, shoulders dropping, relaxed.

Then she looked at the time.

"Shit!"

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

Moments later Mai burst through the door, "I'm here!" she called.

"You're late," a cold voice answered in reply, Mai looked over, her warm brown orbs meeting hard cobalt. Before his eyes flickered to the news that was playing on the TV in the office, a new edition that came in after SPR was reformed.

Mai rolled her eyes, "Well, it wasn't like I could do anything about it when _that,_ " she pointed to the fight between her and Sandman, "Was blocking the way. It was hell to get through."

"Please tell me you weren't an idiot and decided to walk into that trouble," Naru growled.

"Of course not," Mai snorted, _more like crashed into_ , "I went around on seventeenth to avoid it, which is a longer route."

The dialogue between the two hadn't changed much since Naru's, or better known as Shibuya Kazuya aka Oliver Davis, had returned with Lin from England. Though that could have something to do with the fact that Mai refused to acknowledge their last few moments in Japan before they left, and Naru was all for doing the same.

It was a dangerous thing to do anyway, having a relationship in Mai's line of work. She had no idea when she would have to drop connections with SPR, soon, possibly, what with all the other 0-8-4's that have been popping up recently. She was running on borrowed time.

" _Today, Japan saved again from another threat. The United States of America has previously named the enemy as Sandman, an entity that is completely made up of sand, with a weakness to extreme heat, and water. The threat was taken down by Japan's own hero, Kald Bris, whose identity still remains unknown. She was last seen on the roof of Magi Inc. before fleeing the scene, moments later a clean up crew arrived. Nice to know our hero wants to keep our city clean, both from crime, and damage caused by it…."_

Mai shook her head at the reporter. Kald Bris, or cold breeze… Honestly, the names people come up with.

"Hey, pretty cool having a superhero here, right Naru?" Mai asked as she took the tea kettle off of the stove, letting it cool a bit.

"She's not a hero Mai, she's a vigilante, there's a difference." Naru sighed, looking down in his notebook and scribbling a few notes in. "She won't work with the police and she knows no boundaries when she intervenes on any given situation. Kald Bris is a menace, although, not a totally useless one, a menace all the same." Without looking up he continued, "and Mai? T-"

"Tea?" Mai questioned, handing him his cup, already made just the way he likes it, and at the perfect temperature. Naru blinked, looking stunned before his face fell back into his usual stone cold expression. He took the cup without giving thanks, not that Mai cared anymore, she had long since given up on teaching him manners.

Exhaling a little through her nose, Mai took the cup of hot chocolate off the tray she was holding and walked to Lin's office. The silent Chinese man was sitting at his desk, all the lights off and steadily typing on his computer. Mai muttered something about eye strain while placing the mug on the desk next to him, taking the empty cup and leaving, just barely hearing the low 'thanks' given as she closed the door behind her.

Finally, Mai took her own cup of tea and began working at her desk. Multi-tasking between S.H.I.E.L.D. files, homework, and actual SPR case files.

This has been a routine for the past few weeks, seeing as there hasn't been a case brought in yet. Mai was admittedly restless, with only a few odd criminals popping up every once in a while, she found herself without anything exciting to do. The last time she saw some action was when Stark decided that telling everyone where he lived was a good idea. Then all the extremis terrorist, and… gods above, Stark stresses her out.

Mai wished that things would go back to the way things were when she first joined SPR. She was sent to Japan a few months prior, S.H.I.E.l.D. wanted to start a division based on paranormal occurrences, and a lot were being reported in from Japan, so, they sent Mai and several others to scout. Meeting Shibuya Kazuya, later on dubbed as Naru, was hitting a gold mine for her. She had more success than all the others sent to Japan, even started her own research with the unknowing help of Naru. She made friends and was actually able to enjoy life as a teenager, for once.

Then the damn Tesseract gets stolen, Mai was told to remain in Japan, only to come in as backup if the Avengers Initiative failed, of course, it didn't. But the success of the Avengers came at the cost of Agent Coulson, a long time friend, mentor, and family to Mai.

To say she wasn't the same since his funeral was an understatement.

While she still smiled, laughed, and interacted with the others, she became…. Detached, dissatisfied with the quiet life, (well, quiet to her) of SPR. Next thing Mai knows, they find Eugene Davis' body. Naru reveals himself as Oliver Davis, which came as a shock to everyone but Mai and Masako, not that they knew about the former's knowledge. And then everybody was gone, and Mai was alone.

She was shipped back into the field, taking on more assignments, keeping track on Stark, and pretty much flying solo. After a year of being on her own, she gladly accepted her chance to return to Japan upon Naru's want to reopen SPR.

The chiming of the door broke Mai out of her thoughts on the pass. Quickly setting her files aside, she walked out to the front, a bright smile on her face.

"Hello! Welcome to Shibuya Psychic Research! Do you have an appointment?" Mai questioned, the smile not leaving her face even when she met the eyes, or, eye of the client.

A pale man with blonde hair, and one blue eye smiled at them, wrinkles crinkling along the black eyepatch that covered where his left eye once was. Next to him was a delicate looking woman, with black strands tied back in a neatly done bun, her grey eyes roaming around the office in curiosity.

The man spoke, "No, no appointment. Ve vere hoping you vould take a fit in?"

Mai nodded her head, "Of course! Let me get my boss and his assistant. Please, have a seat."

Dr. Hinrich Schäfer and his wife gave a relieved smile before settling on one of the office couches.

Mai quickly made her way over to Oliver's office, "Naru?" she called, rapping her knuckles on the door, "We have a client."

"I'll be right out."

Mai gave an affirmative noise before moving on to retrieve Lin. Moments later, all five of them were in the sitting area with a tray of tea and an inquisitive air.

"You have a case?" Naru questioned, taking a sip of his tea and meeting the Doctor's gaze unflinchingly.

"Ves, we, my vife and I, have vecently- decen- re-" Heinrich gave a frustrated noise, his Japanese was warbled, and honestly, Mai was surprised he managed all that he did so far.

"Du hast kürzlich?" Mai questioned, ignoring the slight widening of her coworkers eyes.

Heinrich's blue eyes lit with amazement, "Du sprichst Deutsch?"

Mai nodded, "Ja," she then turned to Naru, "I could translate to make things easier if you want."

Naru nodded, "That is acceptable."

Mai smiled and then looked back to the clients, "Dein Fall?"

"Meine Frau und ich sind vor kurzem nach Amerika gezogen."

"He and his wife had recently moved to America."

"Es war schön. Bis vor kurzem ... Eis bedeckt einige der Räume. Objekte bewegen sich zufällig, seltsame Geräusche kommen aus Räumen, in denen niemand ist." Heinrich continued, waving his hands as he talked.

"He says that it was nice at first. But then ice began to cover some of the rooms. Objects would move from time to time. Strange noises would come from rooms without anyone there." Mai translated, having no difficulty keeping up with the rapid German.

"Alle, die wir besucht haben, konnten das Problem nicht lösen."

"Everyone they've gone to hasn't been able to solve this case."

"Ich bin bereit, für jede Ausgabe zu zahlen, um Ihr Team untersuchen zu lassen. "

"He says he's willing to pay for all the expenses it takes to get our team over to America."

Naru cocked his head to the side, "Ask him why he came to us," he told Mai, who huffed in response.

"Ask him yourself, he can understand Japanese just fine, it's speaking it that he has a problem with." _Like you and writing kanji_ , Mai thought venomously as Naru repeated his question directly to Dr. Heinrich.

At this question, his wife, Linda Heinrich, eyes lit up as she spoke excitedly. , "Ah, einer meiner amerikanischen Kollegen hat dich empfohlen."

Mai tilted her head, "Amerikanischer kollege?"

"Mai?" Naru questioned.

"She says she has an American colleague who recommended us."

Naru looked sharply at her, "American?" At Mai's nod of confirmation he sighed before looking back at the couple. "We'll accept your case, please consult with Lin-san and Taniyama-san about our requirements for our base and access that we may need."

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

 **So... Hi? I've been absent from this community and decided to brush up on some of my old projects. This being one of them. So, I hope you like it. There is more to come, chapter 2 is in fact, being written now. So, expect updates soon!**

 **And yes, this is a Marvel and Ghost Hunt cross, I'm basically placing all of Ghost Hunt into the MCU! I already have most of the MCU events planned, thankfully, writing the Infinity War Parts are a long ways away.**

 **Hope you enjoy! I don't own Ghost Hunt or Marvel.**

 **Bye!**

-2019 Edit-

 _ **Hi! So life happened. Um, I was really into the swing of writing things and then bam, college hit me. So I am**_ soooooo _ **sorry about not being able to update recently.**_

 _ **I finally reached that point where I feel like I can write again without it being a distraction or detrimental to my grades, so,**_ theres _ **that. I am almost done with the next chapter. And! I have updated the timeline, which you will see at the bottom of this chapter.**_

 _ **I would also like to leave a small little, ahem, response to some of the comments that I have**_ recieved _ **. It was going to be in the next chapter, but I still have, like, half the chapter plus a flashback to Mai's first SPR case to work on, and it will still be a week or so till I get that up.**_

 _ **So, here's my note.**_

"Hey, let me ask you something. Have you ever heard of more than, lets say… three stories that are a crossover between the marvel universe and the anime Ghost Hunt? No? You wanna know why…?

Because there's not a lot of people that are in both demographics.

I get comments and personal messages from people who have never paid attention to Marvel at all, yet still enjoy this story. And you know what? Ghost Hunt's biggest crossover category is Harry Potter, with like, 22 stories total. Do you really think, that other people would easily find this story if it was actually in the crossover category? No. No you wouldn't.

Also if your confused that it's a crossover or find the story misleading despite the words MARVEL and CROSSOVER being in the title, well, that's not my problem. So no, I will not be switching the category of this story, and if that offends you, don't comment about it. Just don't read the fanfiction, you see that little tab at the top corner of your screen, or the back button on your device? Click it, click it now.

And, here's a little shameless plug, if you want to further read my thoughts on crossovers with stories that don't share the same demographic, then read My Ghost Hunt Story Ideas That I'm Too Lazy To Write, it gives a deeper insight and reasoning for doing so.

So, you know, thank you for your concern Luna, Hiy, and Aemin, but no. Also, Aemin, I don't think it's your responsibility to keep the forum in order, but kudos to you for trying! ;)

That is all I have to say in the matter and I will not address it again, no matter how much you comment on it in the review section. But if you're really determined, keep doing it, I'm sure you'll somehow change my mind.

With that said, can I just say, I'm super hype about the next few chapters because I finally have all of the movies leading up to, and including, Infinity War on DVD! This, plus A.O.S. being on Netflix equals all the point of references for me! Mwahahahahahahaha!

ONWARDS WITH THE SHOW!"

 ** _Ahem, yeah, I realize now that my response is a little more,_** heated, ** _than I probably want it to be. But the point stands nonetheless, there's simply not enough reasons to switch the category of this story just because it's a crossover, especially when I would like for this story to be, you know, read._**

 ** _Ah! And the timeline! Here it is! As spoiler free as I can make it, it's not the full extensive timeline, cause, that would be_** spoilery ** _. But, it just has what arcs there are, and what year they take place in._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

Ghost Hunt Canon Arc 2011-2012

Ghost Hunt S.P.E. Test Arc 2013

|Independent Mai Arc| 2013

|Agent Mai Arc| 2013-2014

|SPR and MCU| 2014-2015

|Pre Sokovia Accords| 2015-2016

|After Sokovia| 2016

|After Homecoming| 2016-2017

Ragnarok 2017-2018 (Time works differently on Sakaar)

Infinity War 2018

 _ **By Infinity War, Mai is 23 years old. So, lol, we will watch her grow.**_

 _ **The Arcs with || have a different Arc name, but, the name of that Arc is filled with way**_ to _ **many spoilers.**_

 _ **The canon arc happens in correlation with the SPE Test Arc, so, case 1 in cannon is told along with case 1 in the fanfiction.**_

 _ **Let's just say everyone in SPR goes through it. And Infinity War, when I get there, will leave you**_ shook _ **.**_

 _ **My original goal was to get to Infinity war before End Game came out, lol, that goal was not reached. But, hopefully, before the next Avengers movie after End Game, I'll be caught up to the MCU.**_

 _ **Um, sorry that this wasn't a chapter update, but I felt like I couldn't just leave**_ y'all _ **hanging in limbo without explaining why.**_

 _ **The rest of the chapters have been edited. Enjoy them, and if your new, I hope you'll enjoy this story. It's good to be back.**_


	2. Chapter 2: File Roots Part 1

**STOP! Hear me out before you continue on with the fanfiction!**

 **Do I have your attention? Good.  
So, I feel like I should explain how this fic goes. Basically, it follows tightly with the MCU with Ghost Hunt tie ins. There will be a switch between ghost hunting, and Marvel stuff. Though, there is one arc that is solely just MCU based, but I promise you'll enjoy it! The first arc that we're in is the Continuation Arc, it starts almost a whole year after the events of Avengers and the end of Ghost Hunt. (2019 edit, lol, past me, more like a couple of months, if even.) With the original Ghost Hunt events leading through 2011 -corresponding with Iron Man 2, Thor, and the Incredible Hulk- and through 2012, ending a month or so after the Avengers.**

 **If you're looking for a fanfiction filled with Romance, I'm sorry to disappoint. While there will be some romance later on in the story, there's nothing big happening in the first few arcs. And what does happen will all be a slow buildup. And the ships are still undetermined.**

 **The flashbacks to the original Ghost Hunt episodes won't follow every episode, it will mainly be highlighted bits where Mai's background as an MCU character changes the cannon.**

 **Also, there will be some small tie ins from other animes, but it will be base like a Stan Lee cameo, little, itty bitty, tiny roles. And I won't tie in any Marvel character that we haven't seen in the MCU yet, (except sandman, but sony has rights to him) because I have no idea what could or could not be cannon, especially with the FOX and Disney trying to work out their latest bargain.**

 **That being said, thank you so much for reading, and enjoy this chapter.**

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As soon as Heinrich and his wife left, Naru turned to Lin, "Lin, call Madoka and Luella, ask if they gave word of our business to anyone from America," Lin nodded. "Mai, get in contact with the others and ask them if their schedule is clear, Yasu included. And after that, I require more tea."

Mai deflated at the last bit, but did as was told.

At some point, Mai realized that they were running low on supplies, towards the end of her shift, she told Naru that she going on a supply run before they left. Naru simply nodded, "Bring the receipt back so that you can be compensated."

This left the girl shocked, but, she decided not to comment and left quickly.

Soon, Mai was in the shopping center with a cart full of tea, a new traveling tea set, case files, and some more power cords. Separated from all the office supplies were various packs of ammo and a high powered taser that Mai just couldn't resist. As Mai was contemplating the decision to check out or go look in the Motor section, someone had approached her.

The man leaned over her cart with a smug smile as he looked Mai up and down, and then into her cart.

"Hey there doll," He greeted with what he must have thought was a charming smile. "What's a sweet thing like you doing packing all this heat?" The man purred, leaning more over the cart and into Mai's personal space.

Mai stared blankly at him, then pushed the man away from her cart and continued on her way.

"H-hey? Come on baby, don't be like that," The man called as he ran after her. He reached out to grab Mai's shoulder.

Mai stopped, turned around and caught the man's hand just as it was about to make contact, she squeezed the hand tightly, feeling the satisfying crunch of the man's bones, before leaving him there to wither in pain.

Perhaps she should just go on to check out.

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

* * *

"So, an American contact," Mai stated, not even bothering to look at the monitor as she sharpened some of her knives, "I'm guessing that was you."

"It was actually Agent Klein," Fury answered, "It's been a year, we need to see how they handle a S.H.I.E.L.D. level operative."

"So it's not a haunting?" Mai asked.

"Not according to your research no. There was never any kind of suspicious activity to happen in that building until recently. No events that would trigger a haunting, at least, none that we can identify." Nick informed her.

"So you testing my kids now, Uncle Nicky?" Mai teased.

"Essentially, if it turns out to be a normal haunting, then we'll see how they operate on foreign soil, if not, we'll see how well they can handle something outside of their pay grade."

"Am I going in alone?"

"I'm sending in a little back up."

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

* * *

"How many of you can speak English?" Naru asked the next morning.

The whole team arrived at the SPR building early, with their suitcases at hand and a tired look on their face.

Ayako tilted her head to the side, "I'm very fluent, some of my studies as a doctor involved going to a few American programs."

"And I go on world tours all the time!" Monk claimed, "I don't know every language of the places I go to, obviously, but I've toured enough in English speaking countries, you know? So I felt the need to learn the language."

Masako calmly held nodded her head, "I'm much the same, I have an occult following here, and as well in countries likes the United States and England."

Naru nodded and looked over to Yasu and Mai, "And you two?"

Yasuhara gave a smile, "I started taking English lessons when I was twelve, I'm pretty well versed with the language."

Mai gave a shrug, "I'm fluent."

Monk gave a crooked grin, "So everyone here can speak English? Cool!"

The others murmured in agreement, while Naru narrowed his eyes at Mai, "English and German? Impressive, I wouldn't have thought that your limited cognitive abilities could support such a task."

"Whoa, what? Who can speak German and English?" Monk asked.

"When our client came in, he struggled to speak Japanese, Taniyama-san stepped in and conversed with him in German to make him comfortable," Lin answered from his place on the couch, not looking up from his laptop as he did so.

Mai sheepishly scratched the back of her neck, "Well yeah, my dad did a lot of international work, but there were some countries that he worked in frequently. I kinda had to learn a few languages from a very young age. If only to make living there easier."

"So you haven't lived in Japan you're whole life?" John asked, "Well now that I think about it, that makes sense."

Mai just shrugged.

A snapping sound drew everyone's attention, Naru was sitting up straighter, his head down and eyes closed in annoyance, "We're getting off topic. I want to give you all a quick rundown off the case and where we're going before we leave soon."

"What? Naru, can't it wait till we get there? We're all pretty tired," Mai complained.

"I don't pay you to whine Mai, tea."

Mai stomped off, all the while muttering about how he doesn't pay her to be his tea-slave as well.

"We'll be heading to New York, the building that the Heinrich's own is currently under the suspicion of being haunted. Thanks to Mai's translation, we know some of the occurrences that are happening there. Dr. Heinrich Schäfer and his wife Juliana recently moved to America, their new home was nice at first, but soon odd occurrences started to happen in their home. Frigid temperatures, moving objects, and strange noises. I'm guessing there aren't as many experienced paranormal researchers in the U.S., seeing as no one they've been to has been able to solve this case."

Monk nodded, "I have to agree, it sounds like a standard haunting. A poltergeist at least"

Ayako leaned forward, "If that's the case, then why are you taking this case, Naru? It's not really something you go for."

"Mrs. Schäfer said she got our information from an American contact, I checked in with Madoka and Martin," Naru pinched the bridge of his nose, "There is no one person in BSPR that knows the Schäfer's, I want to find out who's been recommending us, and how they know about us. Starting with knowing everything about our clients," he turned to Yasu, "That's where you come in, Yasuhara. I want you to find any and every bit of information about the two, and help Lin on researching the building."

Yasu nodded.

Mai entered with a tray of tea, being sure to give everyone theirs first before handing Naru his own cup. Her reward for her efforts to piss him off was a scowl.

"Is that everything we need to know?" Masako asked.

Naru nodded, "It is, we'll be leaving for the airport ten minutes from now."

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

* * *

The flight over wasn't all that exciting and the SPR group was restless upon coming up to their hotel. The crew didn't even register how luxurious their accommodations we're until they split off between the girls and boys rooms. Mai looked around and let out a low whistle, while it was a standard hotel suite, it was quite spacious, and filled with very expensive articles and furniture. Masako and Mai were sharing a room, while Ayako got the master bedroom all to herself, not that either girl cared. They rather give Ayako what she wants than listen to her complain.

The next morning, the crew stood in front of the location of their haunting. It was a vacant apartment building, some of the windows boarded up, and weathering brick standing out against the pristine section of the street. It stood on the corner of the avenue, a rickety old guardian that simply looked tainted with bad memories.

"You would think that such high paying clients could afford a better place," Monk exclaimed as he set eyes on the place.

"They can," Yasu told him, slinging an arm over the monk's shoulder, ignoring how the older man squirmed, "The goal is to fix this place up, and open it as a new apartment complex. They certainly have the funds to do the project, and to hire a staff to run it."

"A pretty humble activity for a world-renowned bio and geoengineer," Mai muttered to herself.

Monk shrugged and went to open the door, but he immediately yanked his hand back once he made contact with the handle.

"Whoa," Monk said, staring at the door. The normally grand entrance was steadily being taken over by vegetation, growing at an unnatural pace.

"Is there another way to get in?" Ayako asked.

"Maybe, but it's likely that the other entrances are just as covered," John sighed.

Mai stepped up and studied the door closer, the familiar feel of magic, much like her own, but still somehow different. The vines tried to cling to Mai, who was forced to step back at the sheer speed it lashed out with. The magic reaching out to her, trying to pull her into… something.

Mai looked down and saw her fingertips start to turn blue, fighting the urge to curse she forced the color to change back.

"Well, how the hell are we supposed to-"

" **Mai**!" a voice called out.

Mai, startled out of her thoughts, turned around. Quickly spotting a very familiar blonde and tearing off in a dead sprint, jumping into his open arms.

" **Steve**!" Mai giggled as the young man twirled her around before setting her on the ground.

" **God, I haven't seen you in a while,** " Steve said with a smile. " **It's good to see you haven't changed much**."

" **Who are you?** " Naru asked, interrupting the warm moment.

Mai scowled, "Naru, don't be rude!"

"He's interrupting our investigation, and distracting you from our task," He told her before directing a glare over at Steve, " **You're obstructing an ongoing investigation. If you have no business here, leave. Mai can contact you on her own time.** "

Steve smiled charmingly, causing Naru's glare to intensify while Ayako and Masako blushed, " **Actually,** " Steve said, " **This is my case too.** " He walked over to Naru and held his hand out, " **Hi, I'm Steven Roster, CSI.** "

Naru glanced at the hand briefly before looking Steve, no, Roster, in the eyes. " **I'm Shibuya Kazuya, owner of Shibuya Psychic Research, and this is my team.** " He gestured over to the team and let them introduce themselves.

Monk was first to emerge, " **Nice to meet you, man.** " He winced at the strength of the handshake, " **Name's Hōshō Takigawa, friends call me Monk.** "

" **Nice to meet you, Monk,** " Steve responded.

" **I'm Ayako Matsuzaki,** " Ayako said in a sultry tone that made poor Steve blush, " **You can call me Ayako though.** "

"Oy, old bat, don't make the handsome man uncomfortable," Monk taunted.

"What did you call me, you apostate monk!" Ayako shouted, swinging her bag at Monk's head.

"Dammit, woman! Will you stop swinging that at me?!" Monk yelled from his sprawled position on the ground.

" **Ignore them** ," Masako said, stepping forward, " **I am Masako Hara, it's a pleasure to meet you.** "

" **Y-you as well**." Steve stuttered, looking away from the arguing pair of employees.

" **Hello mate, I'm John Brown,** " John greeted, a kind smile on his face.

Steve rose an eyebrow, " **A fellow English speaker?** "

" **John's a priest from Australia,** " Mai told him.

" **Koujo Lin** ," Lin said with a nod.

" **And I'm Osamu Yasuhara! People call me Yasu!** " Yasu surged forward with such energy that Steve staggered back a bit. " **Hey, how do you know our lovely little Mai?** "

" **He's an old friend of my dad's** ," Mai explained, a sad smile on her face.

" **Oh,** " Yasu said.

Mai waved him off, " **Don't worry about it. Steve is a good family friend.** "

" **With introductions out of the way,** " Naru said, ending the conversation, and stopping Monk and Ayako's skirmish that had continued in the background. " **Maybe now we can figure out how to get inside.** "

Steve immediately dropped his friendly face, brows furrowed, " **What seems to be the problem?** "

" **All the doors are blocked by thick foliage,** " Lin answered, inclining his head to the front entrance.

Steve walked over to inspect the door. After a second he let out a low whistle, " **How do you suppose that happened?** "

" **We have no idea,** " Monk shrugged, " **We've never seen anything like this before.** "

" **Well, we won't get anything done waiting out here,** " Steve sighed, grabbing a handful of the vines.

" **Whoa, wait a second, you don't honestly think you can just rip all that-** " Monk was cut off by Steve ripping out a chunk of the plants.

"No way," Yasu whispered.

Roughly two minutes later, Steve had torn throw several feet of vines and created a wide enough entrance to get SPR and their equipment through.

"Wow, this place is, wow," Mai gasped, looking around.

The foyer was an old school kind of grand. With a high ceiling, a modest chandelier, and towering windows. Sunlight barely filtered through the windows, what, with them being covered by boarded planks and twisting vines.

Nature had taken back what was hers, plants of all types encompassed the entrance hall. There were patches of grass breaking through the ground, flowers and vines climbed the walls. And moss covered the furniture.

"They sure let this place go," Ayako commented, "How long do you think it took for this to build up?"

"Five weeks," Naru answered.

"What! No way!" Ayako yelled.

"We're in the center of New York, this shouldn't have been possible," Naru continued, "It seems that our clients forgot to mention one other strange occurrence happening here."

"Can a ghost even do this?" Yasu asked.

"That's what we're here to find out." Naru sighed.

" **Um… Mai, do you mind, uh?** " Steve stammered, his eyes darting between the whole SPR group.

Mai giggled, " **We were just talking about how this kind of plant growth couldn't have happened naturally.** "

Steve nodded in understanding, " **I agree. Something here is definitely off.** "

" **If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Rogers, why is the CSI investigating this?** " John asked.

" **It landed in our field of investigation due to the strange incident reports we've been receiving.** " Steve answered easily, " **And please, call me Steve.** "

" **Incident reports?** " Naru questioned.

Steve nodded again, crossing his arms across his chest as he leaned back on one of the plant covered sofas, " **Yeah, a few weeks ago, the police started getting strange calls. Workers complaining about how there was something going on in this building. Shortly after, the police would get more emergency calls, workers have been sent to hospitals with unexplained injuries. They claim that they've all fallen off of a ladder, or scaffolding, but, their injuries tell another story. Broken bones, the skin bruised, as if someone wrapped a rope tightly around them. Congested lungs, filled with an alarming amount of pollen. And symptoms that can only be associated with hyperthermia.**

 **What's more, is that the owners, the Schäfer's had also suffered. Linda Schäfer had a sprained ankle, and Heinrich Schäfer acquired a concussion."**

The SPR team looked on stunned.

" **I assume they haven't told you this,** " Steve asked.

" **Not at all,** " Naru stated.

" **Well,** " Mai sighed, " **This just got interesting.** "

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-  
 **~FILE: ROOTS~**

 **Ghost Hunt**

 **File 1: Evil Spirits all over? Part 1**

Mai's shoulder hurt.

Not to say that the rest of her body doesn't hurt, but her right shoulder was especially pained. For all the abilities that Mai possess, invulnerability is not one of them. And though Mai has a high pain tolerance, a shotgun blast to the shoulder still stings like a bitch.

"Come on Mai!" Michiru called, hurriedly grabbing Mai's arm and dragging her along. Mai let out a barely audible hiss as she felt her wound tear.

"Well I don't have much of a choice now, do I?" Mai questioned as she followed after Michiru, with their friend Keiko right behind them.

"So we're meeting in the AV room after school right?" Keiko asked.

"Definitely! Oh, if only some cute boys would come as well!" Michiru sighed.

Mai rolled her eyes, she was positive that most of the guys at their school were either focused on classwork, or sports, so the idea of coming to a ghost story telling club was probably the least appealing thing they've ever come across. "Well, I hope you're ready girls! Cause I've got a really scary one for you guys tonight!"

Both Michiru and Keiko paled.

" _Oh, no…."_

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

* * *

"...So then, they say that the girl brought a policeman back to the public restroom. Then, shortly after she went inside, like the policeman told her to, she heard the creepy voice once again!"

" _Do you want me to cover you with a red coat?"_

"Without realizing it… _Y-yes…_ the girl answered. And then…" Mai screamed, shocking the girls in front of her, "The policeman hurriedly opened the door, and the girl was dripping with blood, almost as though she were covered in a red cape!"

"Eww!" Keiko gasped.

"Mai, don't use that scary voice," Michiru begged.

Mai just smiled happily, though there was a haunted glint in her eyes. The story was really just a fictional version of one of her more recent missions. The thought of it had Mai rubbing her shoulder again.

"You're up last, Michiru." Mai said.

Michiru sighed, "Okay, mine's about the old schoolhouse."

Mai tilted her head, the footsteps that she heard earlier had halted, and were now making their way towards the classroom.

"The old one?" Keiko asked, "You mean that half-collapsed wooden one?"

Michiru solemnly nodded, "It didn't collapse… Construction work on it was stopped. Because of a curse. There have been a lot of people that have died in that old schoolhouse, including a teacher, who committed suicide. So, when they were going to build the new school, I heard that they were working to knock it down, but then… The building almost completely collapsed on the workers! So, the work was suspended. Last year, they started again, to rebuild the gymnasium, but then, a truck went out of control and crashed out onto the field where they were having class, and a student died."

Both Mai and Keiko flinched back, only Keiko's was more out of sincerity. In the back of Mai's mind, she couldn't help drawing all the logical conclusions that could explain the strange occurrences. All of which checked out.

"What's more," Michiru continued, "and I heard this from one of the upperclassmen, but one night, as she was passing by the old school… She swore she saw some sort of appreciation in the window."

Mai did as Keiko did and swung her body back full force, all the while listening to the sound of someone else entering the room.

Michiru flicked off her switch. "Ready?" She asked, the game was an old one that the girls have been playing for a while. After each girl told their own ghost story, they would switch off their light, and then they would each count off at the end. Supposedly, there is supposed to be an extra person at the end. The extra person is meant to be a spirit.

"One," Michiru stated calmly.

"Two," Keiko breathed.

Mai muttered out, "Three," under her breath.

And then…

"Four," A cold and slightly bemused voice called out.

Keiko and Michiru instinctively flinched, while Mai looked up and directly at the source of the sound. She heard a sharp intake of breath from the intruder, before her thoughts were derailed by the other two girls screaming, with Keiko clinging to Mai's neck.

"No!"

"It's here!"

Mai giggled at them as the lights flicked on. When she saw the boy standing by the doorway, since he was obviously no older than she, Mai fell into full blown laughter as she clumsily detangled Keiko from her person.

"W-was that you just now?" Michiru asked, her eyes still glancing around the room nervously.

The boy removed his hand from the incriminating position of being over the light switch, and let it rest down by his side, "Was I out of line?" he questioned, his head tilting just the smallest bit.

Michiru and Keiko collapsed against there chairs in relief, leaving Mai to collect herself from the ground, small little giggles still escaping from the slight girl.

"Oh god, I was so scared, I could hardly move!" Keiko sighed.

"My apologies, it's very late and the room was dark, I didn't think anyone was still here," the boy started explaining as he walked forward, "but then I heard voices, and couldn't help myself."

The girls, minus Mai, seemed to perk up as they took in the boy's entire appearance, a slight blush taking over.

"N-not at all! That's okay!" Keiko stuttered out, before turning to glare at Mai, "Besides, it seems like you didn't manage to slip past someone's radar."

Mai shrugged, "I didn't care if we got caught, and your reaction was hilarious," she defends herself with a teasing grin that did nothing to help her case.

Keiko rolled her eyes before both she and Michiru rushed over to the boy. "So, what year are you?" She asked.

"I'll turn seventeen this year," the boy replied in kind.

Mai's brow furrowed over that. It was a strange reply, to answer with his age, why not just say he was a second year? And to top it off, the longer Mai listened, the easier to tell that the boy isn't native to Japan, or at least, hasn't been in Japan for a long time. She could just barely hear the European lit in his accent, not enough for the average person to pick up on, but enough for someone who has been training under the Black Widow for years now.

"We were telling ghost stories," Michiru told the boy.

"I see. Would you mind terribly if I joined?" The boy, damn Mai needs to find his name so she can stop referring to him as boy, asked with a fake smile.

Keiko looked excited, "Huh? Senpai, you like ghost stories too?"

"Sure," the boy nodded, causing the two girls to laugh.

Mai, who had been lingering in the background, approached the trio.

"Um, could you tell us what your name is?" Michiru asked sheepishly. Mai immediately tuned in, needing some form of information on the guy.

"Shibuya, Shibuya Kazuya."

 _Fake name?_ Mai thought, tilting her head as she studied the boy. _Oh, this just got interesting._

"Hm, Shibuya-san," Mai spoke, drawing the attention and ending the ceaseless babbling of her two friends, Mai leaned forward with a slightly inquisitive look on her face, "what is your business here?"

"There's something I needed to take care of," Shibuya answered as he walked around the classroom.

Mai gave a knowing smile as she tilted her head to the side, "Then, shouldn't you get to it?"

Michiru and Keiko quickly followed the boy, "We can help, if you need it!" Michiru practically squealed.

"No, thank you." Shibuya rejected the girls, "Instead, would you let me join in the next time you tell ghost stories?"

Mai smirked in her head, _Not so subtle, but I'll give you points. Now, what information can you gain from ghost stories?_

"Of course!" Keiko accepted the request brightly.

"How about tomorrow, after school?" Michiru offered.

Mai sighed and shook her head. It seems that they'll have some company tomorrow.

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

* * *

The next day, Mai was walking back to school fully armed with information, and the determination to get close with "Kazuya Shibuya," or, more accurately, Oliver Davis. A well known and famous parapsychology researcher that had attended and graduated from University early. He wrote his own novel on the subject and began to work under his adoptive father, Martin Davis. He has a twin as well, who is just as genius, Eugene Davis.

Mai never personally known Eugene, but from what she read, he seemed interesting. He was actually apart of the SPE (S.H.I.E.L.D. Paranormal Enforcement) initiative before he went MIA. Now that she thinks about it… She should contact Fury and ask if she can follow that trail as well.

Suddenly, Mai felt a shift in the atmosphere. Dazed, she blinked and looked to the side to see the old school building sitting in all its crooked glory. "If I didn't know any better, with the way it looks now, those stories sure do ring true, don't they?" Mai asked no one in particular, studying the building. She sent out her senses to see if she could find the reason for her disturbance of peace, she paused when she felt a… camera?

"Right, he's an investigator," Mai muttered to herself, coming up closer to the building and peering in through the doors windows. Shrugging, Mai walked in to investigate herself. She figured, if the camera caught her, she'd only look like a curious student.

 _Pretty wicked equipment, but, with such a rich family, I guess you could afford something this expensive,_ Mai thought as she knelt next to the camera, touching the side to get a better view of the model.

"Who's there!" Someone yelled, at once shocking Mai into flinching back. _Damnit,_ Mai cursed, _and this is why you always pay attention to your surroundings, idiot, you're better than that!_

Waving off her slight embarrassment, Mai slipped back into the role of a nervous teen, "I'm sorry, I was just, um…"

Then the shoe rack began to fall.

"Shit!" Mai yelled, quickly getting up and then dodging clear out of the way of the case. She almost didn't register the gasp of surprise- which soon turned into pain -from behind her. Once the dust settled, she looked behind her to see a man, most likely in his mid to late twenties, sprawled on the ground.

"Sir, can you hear me?" Mai asked while she checked his pulse, the man in question groaned, barely responding to the question. Mai cursed under her breath and began to help the man up.

"What happened?" A familiar voice called.

Before Mai could answer, Oliver rushed over and knelt down next to the man, "Lin, what happened?" he asked as, presumingly, Koujo Lin pushed himself up. "You're a bit cut up."

"Yeah," Lin grunted.

"I'm sorry, he startled me and-" Mai began but was cut off.

"Never mind the explanations. Are there any doctors around here?" Oliver asked.

Mai nodded, she got up to help Lin while she explained, "Yeah, there's one not too far from here-" again, she was cut off when Lin slapped her hand away.

"No thank you. I do not need your help," he told her, "You've done enough."

Mai glared at him, "Excuse me? You're the one that not only startled me, but got himself injured. Not every person you come across is a damsel in distress, I was well out of the way of that shoe rack, and you were nowhere near it when it began to fall!"

Ignoring the two shocked men, she went to his other side and helped to support him, "Besides, I only told you that the hospital is near here. You don't know how far, or how to get there. Suck it up, stuff your pride, and let's go."

Oliver tilted his head as they began to walk, "You're that girl that I met yesterday, what's your name?"

Mai didn't even look over, "Taniyama Mai."

"Are you sure you want to join us, Taniyama-san?" Oliver asked, "The school chimes sounded just moments ago."

Mai gave a nervous chuckle, "I'll just explain the situation, it's not like I'm behind in classes anyway."

After that the walk descended into awkward silence.

When the trio arrived at the hospital, they were immediately rushed to by a nurse.

"Mai! What happened this time?" She asked.

"A man playing hero," Mai simply answered, helping Lin sit down and ignoring his scathing look.

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

* * *

"I've got to go," Mai told them, packing up to leave from school.

"Eh, you're going home, Mai?" Michiru asked, "What about our meet up with Shibuya-san?"

Mai huffed, blowing a piece of hair out of her face, "That's what I came to tell you. I don't really care guys," she told them. _Besides, with an injured bodyguard, I doubt he'll be out and about._

"No way! I don't believe you!" Keiko yelled, "This is a chance to tell ghost stories together with a cute guy!"

"Ghost stories you say?" an annoyed voice asked, Mai and the others looked over to see Kuroda, a girl who personally got on Mai's nerves, approach them. "Is that what you've been doing every day? No wonder I've been having headaches. I am very spiritually sensitive. When spirits amass together, I get severe headaches."

Mai resisted rolling her eyes, "You can't be saying that it's our fault," she deadpanned.

"Of course it is!" Kuroda exclaimed, "When you tell ghost stories, low-level spirits come together. Then, that summons stronger spirits, and it's bad news when that happens."

"Then we would have more incidents that we normally do, now wouldn't we?" Mai asked her, "Get real, ghost stories aren't summoning, to do something like that, even with 'low-level' spirits, you need intent on doing so."

"Like you would know anything!" Kuroda growled, stepping forward, "Those stories summon spirits, and spirits attract more spirits. That's why you can't entertain yourselves by telling ghost stories."

"You there," Someone interrupted, the girls turned to see Oliver- Kazuya, standing in the doorway. "If you are spiritually sensitive, then do you sense anything from the old school house?"

Mai grimaced as her friends swooned, "Ah, it's Shibuya-senpai!"

"Are you the one who put these girls up to telling ghost stories?" Kuroda asked, ignoring Mai's snort at the accusation.

"You didn't answer my question," Kazuya countered, tilted his head to the side, "Maybe you're not spiritually sensitive after all."

"For your information, there are numerous spirits of those that died in the war gathered in the old school house." Kuroda said, instantly on the defensive, "In fact, I'm positive that the school was used as a hospital. For the soldiers that got hurt in the war."

"Careful Kuroda," Mai said in a sing-song voice, "Your local historian is in the same room as you."

Kuroda stuttered to a stop and was about to set off on Mai, but was interrupted by Kazuya.

"I did not know that there was a hospital here during the war," he stated while crossing his arms, "I had heard that the school had been here before the war. Perhaps it was a medical school then?"

"Wrong on both accounts," Mai muttered under her breath.

"I don't know!" Kuroda huffed, "But I _did_ see them! Someone who isn't spiritually sensitive like you could never understand that!"

"Shibuya-senpai?" Keiko stepped in, a nervous look on her face, "Can we call it off for today?"

Michiru nodded, "I'm not up for ghost stories either."

"No? Well, another time maybe," Kazuya said as she turned to leave. He paused and turned back, "Taniyama-san… Might I have a moment?"

Mai pouted a bit, she was hoping to go home. She sighed, "Yeah, I guess."

The two of them exited the class and walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Um, how's your friend from earlier?" Mai asked.

Kazuya nodded. "Yes, about him. He's sprained his left leg. He won't be able to stand for a while."

Mai scratched the back of her head, "Sprains suck. I'm super sorry about that."

Kazuya said nothing.

Mai shrugged and decided to do a little snooping, "So Shibuya-san, what's the deal between you two?"

Kazuya just said, "Assistant."

"Oh," Mai paused, expecting to hear Koujo Lin's actual occupation rather than that, "So you're his assistant?" Mai asked, figuring that the two of them are undercover for… something.

"The opposite," he stopped and turned around, "He's the assistant, and I'm the boss."

Mai couldn't help her jolt of surprise. _That's_ their cover? _When you two came up with your cover story, you had amazingly failed,_ Mai remarked smartly in her head.

Ignoring her shock, he continued, "Now my assistant is out of commission, I think you have an obligation here."

"Like hell, that wasn't my fault," Mai growled, pissed.

"The camera is broken too," Kazuya pressed on.

"Isn't that insured?"

"He was trying to stop you from touching the camera, now I'm down an assistant."

Mai had enough, "That's his fault for playing hero," Mai snapped. She sighed at the hard look he gave her, "Fine, how much was the camera."

"Probably more than you have," He told her.

Mai sighed again. Yeah, well, even as an agent, she probably can't afford whatever Richie-Rich bought. "You mean, um…" How many zeros could it be?

"You couldn't reimburse me," Kazuya said, proving her prediction correct.

"I shouldn't have to," Mai reminded him.

"Which means, there is only one course that you can take."

"Legally I could walk away."

"You'll work as my substitute assistant."

Mai quickly cut off her argument, a bit of shock on her face. "Y-your what?" Mai stifled a giggle, but it did nothing to hide her shaking shoulders and the mirth in her eyes. "If you needed help Shibuya-san, you could've asked.

"I suppose so," Kazuya shrugged.

Mai nodded, "So, what _is_ your work?" _How well are you at remaining undercover._

" **Ghost hunting** ," he told her, in E _nglish._

 _Answer: Not at all._

On the outside, Mai simply tilted her head questioningly, her eyebrow rising a way that said 'come again?'

"The correct translation would be 'Ghost Exterminator,' I suppose," Kazuya explained offhandedly, "I'm from Shibuya **Psychic Research** , we were hired by the principal to investigate the old schoolhouse."

Keeping with her cover, Mai gave a confused look, furrowing her eyebrows, "Saikiku Risachi?"

"Is that a question?" Kazuya asked, before walking away.

 _Yes, you ass,_ Mai thought. _Anyone who doesn't actually understand English wouldn't have understood you speaking in fucking English!_

"' **Psychic** ' means 'spiritual'. ' **Research** ' means 'investigation.' In other words, Shibuya **Psychic Research** is a spiritual phenomenon investigative bureau." Kazuya stopped walking and looked back at her. "And I am its manager."

Very inconspicuous.

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

* * *

o **So yeah, I took time to go back and edit this, I'm half awake though, so I don't know how much I actually fixed. (2019, nothing at all. Jeez)**

 **And yes, Steven Roster is Steve Rogers, it's stated that he began working as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent after Avengers, so, here you go.**


	3. Chapter 3: File Roots Part 2

Mai sighed as she placed the last of the equipment down in the room. It was spacious, and much like the rest of the building, completely encrusted with plant life. Steve came in moments later carrying two heavy generators.

While most of the equipment was battery operated, some of it still needed a power source, and all the power outlets had foliage blocking and intertwining with it. Thankfully, the group has long since had the mindset to bring up generators to run the base.

" **Thanks for helping Steve,** " Mai smiled.

" **Sure thing,** " Steve replied, tapping his ear twice and looking back at the currently empty doorway.

" **We're in the clear for the moment,** " Mai told him.

Steve relaxed and sat down on the couch with a huff, " **Ghost? And I thought I had already seen everything,** " he said with a sigh.

Mai giggled, " **What? You can deal with superpowered Nazi's, aliens, and gods, but you can't handle Casper the Friendly Ghost?** "

" **From what I heard, it's not even that.** "

" **Well, you're right about that,** " Mai sighed, going around the base and setting up the kitchenette, " **The first thing I felt when I got here was something… pulling, on my powers. It even started to turn my skin blue! I've never seen, or felt something like that happening before!** "

" **I didn't know you could turn blue,** " Steve stated.

" **Join the club.** " Mai snorted, digging around in a box, looking for the tea leaves. " **I'm just- I hope that whatever it is, I hope they're ready for it.** "

Steve stood and walked over to her, " **They'll pull through.** "

Mai began to reply, but then cocked her head to the side, " **They're coming up,** " she warned, before setting about her task. Steve followed the same line of thought and headed over to his bag and began leafing through his case files.

"This is so heavy!" Monk yelled, struggling as he carried one of the generators, followed by an equally struggling John, and a vaguely inconvenienced Lin. " **Jeez, I don't know how you carried two of these up here!** "

Steve looked up from his case files at the sound of English, " **Oh, well, CSI training is no joke you know.** "

" **I believe you!** "

"If you're done, we would actually like to get through the door," a voice deadpanned. Monk and John jumped, both turning in the doorway to see an irritated Naru, and a haggard looking Ayako, Yasu and Masako. All four of them had a box in their arms.

"Ah! Right!" Monk exclaimed, quickly getting out of the way, hauling the generator with him.

"Mai, tea," Naru said, walking over to a desk and placing his box down.

"Give it a minute you impatient narcissist!" Mai yelled, checking on the tea before going back over to help Lin with setting up the computer equipment.

"If you were efficient, then I wouldn't be impatient," Naru told her.

Mai turned red in anger, and was about to yell, but stopped. Her sudden pause caught everyone's eye, but Mai paid them no mind. Her eyes swept across the room, looking for, whatever it was that pulled her attention.

 _It felt like, that pulling again, but, stronger, and way closer._ Mai thought, still ignoring her friends who were trying to regain her attention. _It's really close, it's- Oh shit!_

"Down!" Mai yelled, grabbing the two nearest to her, Masako and Naru, and dragging them down. Everyone else took her advice and hit the ground in time to miss a massive branch that came swinging out of nowhere.

After the initial shock, Mai stretched out her senses and found the feeling had dulled once again. She sat up slowly, looking around in a partial daze.

" **Is everyone okay?** " Steve called out, he stood and dusted himself off before offering a hand to Ayako and helping her up.

" **I think so,** " Monk groaned, sitting up. He moaned and massaged his neck, " **I'm already tired of this plant crap.** "

"Monk! My love, are you okay!" Yasu cried, lunging from his spot and clutching Monk tight. The older man let out a shriek of surprise and immediately tried to pry the college student off of him.

"Cut it out! That creeps me out man!"

"Lin, is the equipment okay?" Naru asked, pulling Mai up along with him.

"We're fine," Lin grunted.

"The hell was that?" Ayako questioned, "I've never seen anything like that before!"

"It's something," Naru sighed, "And apparently, it's pissed. Matsuzaki, I need you to get started on making wards, and start putting them around the room immediately. Whatever this is, it's not messing around, neither are we."

Naru looked around the room, " **We'll stick with the original plan for setting up, but no one goes anywhere alone, and don't dally, come straight back to the base as soon as you finish setting up. Roster,** " Steve looked up, " **If you could, occupancy Monk and Yasuhara as they set up their share of equipment. You the lobby and the first five floors."**

"Ms. Hara, you'll go with Matsuzaki and John to the sixth floor and the penthouse. Be careful, and Ms. Hara, if you can, see if you can sense a presence." Naru continued, "Lin, Mai, and I will finish setting up the base, keep in contact the whole time."

"Hai!" Monk chanted before grabbing the cameras and mikes. Everyone else just nodded and followed suit.

As soon as they were gone Naru rounded on Mai, "What do you feel?"

Mai chewed her lip, "That's the strange thing… I don't _feel_ anything."

"Then how did you-"

"I mean, physically, I felt something… tugging on my senses, but, I can't read anything from it, no emotions, no feelings, nothing," Mai sighed.

Naru stared at her for a minute before turning back to finish setting up with Lin. Mai helped with moving everything around and served tea once it was done.

Mai sent her magic throughout the building once more, she frowned as she felt something tugging on her again. And it was so _familiar_. Almost like her own powers. Which is a problem all on its own, cause if it's so familiar then that means it's similar to her own powers, and Mai had no idea where her power originated from, so tracking down the source of their problem might be troublesome.

"We're back!" Yasu yelled, drawing Mai away from her thoughts. She looked up to see a exhausted Monk and the energetic personas of Steve and Yasu.

"Any problems?" Naru asked, not looking away from his case file that he was going over from his position on the couch.

"Luckily not," Monk answered, flopping down on the couch opposite.

"Good, then you can help look over these case files and see if you can find any anomalies," Naru replied, tossing a folder at the bewildered monk.

"Ah! But that's Yasuhara's job!"

"Then you won't mind helping him, it's a lot of material."

" **Hey, Steve? Do you have any info on the building itself?** " Mai questioned, setting down a tray of tea.

Steve nodded, " **I do. Though the building history isn't as eventful as it is old.** "

" **I figured that,** " Mai muttered under her breath, " **Either way, can I look through some of it?** "

" **Sure.** "

O.o.o

"Tomorrow, we'll be interviewing workers here," Naru informed the group. "Till then, we're heading back to get some rest."

" **Steve, hang back a minute,** " Mai called out, grabbing the blonde and pulling him to the side.

"Mai! We're not waiting on you just because you want to socialize!" Naru yelled out.

"Then head to the hotel without me! I know how to get there!" Mai yelled back.

"Doubtful."

"Bite me," Mai growled out, before pulling Steve further away with more force than necessary.

Steve watched with wide eyes, his head whipping back and forth between the two, " **Um…** "

" **Don't worry about it, I need you to do something for me,** " Mai huffed. Seeing Steve straighten out at that she went through with her request, " **I need you to get files on any and all missing or runaway people in the are for the past, I'll say four to seven months.** "

" **I can do that, but, why?** "

" **I have a pretty good guess of what's going on here,** " Mai told him, " **But I want to check all my bases first before I come out with my theory.** "

Steve rose an eyebrow at that, " **Care to explain?** "

" **I'll explain it to you when I have answers,** " Mai smirked, " **Just do it soldier, I want this case finished without an incident.** "

" **Yes ma'am,** " Steve saluted teasingly, ducking the fist that Mai was swung out at him, " **I'll have all your papers ready by tomorrow!** "

" **Go home, Steve,** " Mai sighed, drawing the blonde into a quick hug before departing. Upon arriving back at the apartment complex, Mai realized that the crew actually left without her. Not deterred by that, Mai hailed a taxi, told the driver the hotel address, and just sat back quietly throughout the whole ride.

As soon as she stepped foot in the hotel lobby, she was ambushed by Naru. "You idiot."

"Hello to you too," Mai replied, trying to go around him but was stopped by Naru grabbing her wrist. She looked down at it before meeting Naru's eyes with her bored ones, "Let go."

"Do you have any idea how stupid that was? This is New York, people go missing or get robbed in the middle of the night all the time and you just decided to walk around by yourself?" Naru lectured.

"I took a cab, so I didn't really go walking through the streets of New York by myself, and you were the ones who left. It's not that big of a deal anyways."

"I think one of our members deciding that this is a social trip is a big deal," Naru retorted.

"Social trip? Is that what you think I'm doing?" Mai tilted her head, "I was asking Steve if he could pull a few files, I figured you'd want more than what little he was able to pull up in one day by himself."

"And you needed to pull him aside for a private conversation for that?" Naru questioned.

Mai let out a frustrated groan before yanking her arm away from Naru, "Not everyone needs you looking over their shoulder to do something Naru."

Without waiting for his reply Mai turned around and stormed off for a crowded elevator, making it in just as the doors closed, leaving Naru in the lobby by himself.

⦽The Real Side of Mai Taniyama⦽

 **Yeah, short chapter, sorry. It's just we're at that awkward part of the case where nothing is happening, and I have a lot more stuff planned for the next chapter that wouldn't work or flow with this chapter.**

 **Not that this chapter has much flow, like I said, it's at that stagnant point of the story where you have no idea where craps going to go.**

 **I apologize for the long wait, I thought I would have this done by last week, but I had to rewrite a huge portion of this chapter because I realized that it makes no sense and it contradicts with the plot that I'm trying to go with for the whole story.**

 **But yeah, here it is, thanks for reading. I'll try updating sooner!(2019, Laughs in tears and self deprication)**


	4. AUTHORS NOTE, Will delete soon

-2019 Edit-

 _ **Hi! So life happened. Um, I was really into the swing of writing things and then bam, college hit me. So I am**_ soooooo _ **sorry about not being able to update recently.**_

 _ **I finally reached that point where I feel like I can write again without it being a distraction or detrimental to my grades, so,**_ theres _ **that. I am almost done with the next chapter. And! I have updated the timeline, which you will see at the bottom of this chapter.**_

 _ **I would also like to leave a small little, ahem, response to some of the comments that I have**_ recieved _ **. It was going to be in the next chapter, but I still have, like, half the chapter plus a flashback to Mai's first SPR case to work on, and it will still be a week or so till I get that up.**_

 _ **So, here's my note.**_

"Hey, let me ask you something. Have you ever heard of more than, lets say… three stories that are a crossover between the marvel universe and the anime Ghost Hunt? No? You wanna know why…?

Because there's not a lot of people that are in both demographics.

I get comments and personal messages from people who have never paid attention to Marvel at all, yet still enjoy this story. And you know what? Ghost Hunt's biggest crossover category is Harry Potter, with like, 22 stories total. Do you really think, that other people would easily find this story if it was actually in the crossover category? No. No you wouldn't.

Also if your confused that it's a crossover or find the story misleading despite the words MARVEL and CROSSOVER being in the title, well, that's not my problem. So no, I will not be switching the category of this story, and if that offends you, don't comment about it. Just don't read the fanfiction, you see that little tab at the top corner of your screen, or the back button on your device? Click it, click it now.

And, here's a little shameless plug, if you want to further read my thoughts on crossovers with stories that don't share the same demographic, then read My Ghost Hunt Story Ideas That I'm Too Lazy To Write, it gives a deeper insight and reasoning for doing so.

So, you know, thank you for your concern Luna, Hiy, and Aemin, but no. Also, Aemin, I don't think it's your responsibility to keep the forum in order, but kudos to you for trying! ;)

That is all I have to say in the matter and I will not address it again, no matter how much you comment on it in the review section. But if you're really determined, keep doing it, I'm sure you'll somehow change my mind.

With that said, can I just say, I'm super hype about the next few chapters because I finally have all of the movies leading up to, and including, Infinity War on DVD! This, plus A.O.S. being on Netflix equals all the point of references for me! Mwahahahahahahaha!

ONWARDS WITH THE SHOW!"

 ** _Ahem, yeah, I realize now that my response is a little more,_** heated, ** _than I probably want it to be. But the point stands nonetheless, there's simply not enough reasons to switch the category of this story just because it's a crossover, especially when I would like for this story to be, you know, read._**

 ** _Ah! And the timeline! Here it is! As spoiler free as I can make it, it's not the full extensive timeline, cause, that would be_** spoilery ** _. But, it just has what arcs there are, and what year they take place in._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

Ghost Hunt Canon Arc 2011-2012

Ghost Hunt S.P.E. Test Arc 2013

|Independent Mai Arc| 2013

|Agent Mai Arc| 2013-2014

|SPR and MCU| 2014-2015

|Pre Sokovia Accords| 2015-2016

|After Sokovia| 2016

|After Homecoming| 2016-2017

Ragnarok 2017-2018 (Time works differently on Sakaar)

Infinity War 2018

 _ **By Infinity War, Mai is 23 years old. So, lol, we will watch her grow.**_

 _ **The Arcs with || have a different Arc name, but, the name of that Arc is filled with way**_ to _ **many spoilers.**_

 _ **The canon arc happens in correlation with the SPE Test Arc, so, case 1 in cannon is told along with case 1 in the fanfiction.**_

 _ **Let's just say everyone in SPR goes through it. And Infinity War, when I get there, will leave you**_ shook _ **.**_

 _ **My original goal was to get to Infinity war before End Game came out, lol, that goal was not reached. But, hopefully, before the next Avengers movie after End Game, I'll be caught up to the MCU.**_

 _ **Um, sorry that this wasn't a chapter update, but I felt like I couldn't just leave**_ y'all _ **hanging in limbo without explaining why.**_

 _ **The rest of the chapters have been edited. Enjoy them, and if your new, I hope you'll enjoy this story. It's good to be back.**_


End file.
